Lactation slice

I read somewhere that brewers yeast, rolled oats, ginger and apricot were great aids to breastfeeding mothers. Given that I’ve joined the club, for the third time, it is time I experimented with recipes! This slice is a wet slice, as in it is not hard, it is soft to eat. That is because I read in an old Chinese art of nourishing the body after birth, that nothing cold or hard should pass the lips for at least a week. So on my diet of pearl barley chicken soup, cauliflower soup, broth, soft rice and steamed vege bowls I needed a pick me up. And here she is! I hope you enjoy it too!

 

Ingredients

1 ½ cups rolled oats

1/3 cup almond meal

2 tbs quinoa

¼ cup coconut sugar

½ tsp baking powder

½ cup rice malt syrup

2 tbs olive oil

3 tbs honey

10 dried apricots, diced

½ handful glace ginger, diced

2 tbs warm water

2 tbs brewers yeast

A pinch of salt

 

Method

Place the warm water, yeast and salt in your mixing dish and leave for a few minutes. Now add everything else! Combine really well. You will see it is sticky and smells lovely.

Grilled barramundi with tray baked veggies

So simple and so scrumptious! We love this Summer favourite!!

Ingredients

For each person being served;

One slab of barramundi with the skin on

A zucchini

A handful of chopped pumpkin

Mushrooms

Chopped capsicum

A garlic clove or two!

Splash of olive oil

Salt and pepper

A lemon

 

Method

Rub the skin side of the barramundi with a little salt. Cut your veggies up and combine in a little bowl, douse with olive oil, salt and pepper and swirl around until coasted nicely. Now add to a baking tray and bake for 25 minutes on 180 degrees Celsius. Now they are in the oven add a splash of olive oil to a fry pan and heat. Once you feel the heat coming off the bottom of the pan if you hover your hand above, your pan is ready for your fish. Place the fish skin side down on the pan. Listen to that sizzle! Now I cover the pan with a little alfoil or its lid for 4 minutes here. My slabs of barra were thick but if they weren’t I wouldn’t cover them. Now Lid off, just press that fish into the pan to make sure the skin is getting all that crispiness! If you like it extra crispy, turn up the heat for a minute and hold the fish down. Once your fish is cooked through, it is ready to serve with your veggies! Serve with love and halved lemons!!

Footy field of guacamole

To acknowledge State of Origin here in Queensland I thought it would be fun to make a little guacamole footy field! It was really easy and the kids were pretty impressed as it meant we were having a Mexican feast with tacos and tortillas for dinner! Hubby appreciated it! QUEENSLANDER!! QUEENSLANDER!! QUEENSLANDER!!

Ingredients

4 tall thin bread sticks

Cherry tomatoes

A few dollops of sour cream

Corn chips

Guacamole

An almond

 

Guacamole Ingredients (or alternatively buy a pre-done guac)

3 ripe avocados

A small red onion, diced as fine as you can

A handful of coriander

A squeeze of lemon juice

 

Method

Smash your avocados and add the onion, lemon juice and coriander, mixing well. Now spread your guacamole in a dish and smooth out.

Spoon your sour cream into a piping bag. Pipe into lines like a footy field.

Now cut your tomatoes in half and arrange as players on the field!

Use your almond as a footy and place somewhere on the field, and set up your long bread sticks as goals. Shove a heap of corn chips around and ta da! You are done!!

Chicken, leek and mushroom footy

In Australia we have a footy game called NRL and 2 states, Queensland and New South Wales, go head to head for the title of “State of Origin”. There are 3 games over 6 weeks and the winner has bragging rights for the rest of the season, year, and until the next set of matches. So I thought to make a special little something, and the chicken, leek, mushroom footy was born!

 

Ingredients

200g small diced chicken bits and leftover chicken roast shredded

250 g mushrooms, diced

A leek, sliced and diced

A spoonful of butter

4 garlic cloves

a few sprigs of thyme and flat leaf parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper to your taste

2 sheets of puff pastry

Cheese you can slice and shape (for the top so it looks like a footy)

 

Method

Thaw your puff pastry. Now for the stove part – Place the butter, garlic, herbs and leek in a frypan and sauté for a few minutes. Now add your mushrooms and cook until tender. Add your diced chicken, and season to your liking. Back to your puff pastry – cut one square into a football shape, and with the other square cut a few 1cm thick strips. Place the strips around the edges of the football to build up the edges. Brush with a little butter, and bake the pastry at 200 degrees Celsius for about 7 minutes just to get the bottom done a bit. If it has risen a little that is ok, you can press it down a tad.

Spoon your mixture onto the football, keeping it within the edges you’ve made. Now align the cheese to be like football straps. Pop him back in the oven for 5 minutes or so until the cheese is melted and the pastry is a lovely golden brown.

You will have leftover mixture, so this actually makes 4 footballs if you want to go that far! I use the rest of the mixture served in a bowl and some rice served in another bowl and salad in another so people can serve themselves a plate of food too. The footy is just a fun way to acknowledge the game! Go Queensland!!

Brownies

Being a dessert with few ingredients you will benefit from having quality dark chocolate here. I know it is around a lot, but I can’t go past Old Gold for this number. It just brings out a depth of flavour that other dark chocolates lack. So go bold, go the gold, and enjoy stuffing your face with these moist, amazing chocolatey morsels!

 

Ingredients

125 g butter

125 g dark chocolate

1 dollop of vanilla bean extract

3 eggs

1 cup brown sugar, tightly packed

¾ cup of plain flour

¼ cup cocoa powder

A little salt

 

Method

Melt butter and chocolate together however you like. I avoid the microwave and use a bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water. It melts lovely together and when you give it a good stir she glistens! Once melted together like a honeymooning couple, its time to separately crack your eggs and whisk a little. Add your egg to the chocolate mix, followed by everything else.

Pour the mix into a lined square bake tin and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about half an hour. If you like it a little gooey, drop 5 minutes from the cook time and just check her at the 20 minute mark. Feel it out with a skewer or the tips of your fingers. Serve as they are, or with ice-cream, jam, cream, a dash of Baileys on top… whatever your heart desires!!

Oh the gooeyness!!!

With a little cream and strawberries!!

 

Simple chocolate torte

This torte is delicious for any occasion! I serve it at dinner parties, birthdays, weekend functions and sometimes just because I can! It is so versatile, and very low in fat – the only fat is whatever butter you are using – and there is only 80 grams for the entire torte! And still it remains decadent and beautiful! If you like your tortes gooey only bake for 15 minutes and let stand in its dish to cool. Gooey or baked through, if you use a beautiful dark chocolate, this is glossy, moist and just delightful!

 

Ingredients

4 eggs

170 g dark chocolate

80 g butter

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup plain flour

Cups of blueberries or other fruit to place on top!

Double cream or ice-cream to serve!

 

Method

Heat the butter and chocolate on low heat and stir until completely melted together. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs together until thick, add the sugar and then whisk until the volume increases, about 5 minutes. Add the butter chocolate mix to the egg mix and fold together carefully, then add the flour and fold until combined. Pour the mixture into a lined or greased torte tin or ceramic quiche dish. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about 20 minutes. Leave to cool in the dish. Serve as slices with cream, ice-cream, fruits, or anything your heart desires! Here I have served mine as a birthday cake with some piped chocolate ganache, chocolates and a dusting of icing powder! Love it!

Blueberry sauce

Sometimes it is the little extras in life that make a difference, and I find when you make toppings and sauces yourself, people really appreciate that touch. Even my kids love that I go to the effort to make this. It really adds to a fabulous Sunday morning brunch as a topper for pancakes! It is also impressive as a topping on mini cheesecakes for high teas. I promise it is fool proof and easy. Have crack at this beautiful blueberry sauce!

 

Ingredients

250g frozen blueberries

A lemon

A large spoonful of sugar

A dash of water

1 tbs of cornstarch

Method

Put your frozen blueberries into a saucepan on low heat. Now add your sugar, water and squeeze the juice of half a lemon in. Spoon a tablespoon of cornstarch into a cup and add about a shot glass of water, stirring into a little paste. Once your berries have been on the heat for about 10 minutes they will be juicy! Add your cornstarch mixture and keep on the heat for another 5 minutes or so. Now it will be thick and you can eat your beautiful sauce asap! If you like, pour it into a glass jar and leave in the fridge. This thickens it up. However you decide to have it, I hope you enjoy it!

Easy & tasty BBQ sauce

This is my go to, easy as, bbq sauce! It is a winner for chicken dinner, a cracker at family barbeques and a fabulous edible gift. The beauty of making your own is if you want it sweet add all the maple syrup, but if you like it a little snappy, cut that back. You make it to your tastes, so it will be perfect for your taste buds, smothered all over your meat and sides. Happy smothering!

 

Ingredients

2 tsp sweet smoked ground paprika

5 good shakes of garlic powder

4 tbs Dijon mustard

Half a dozen good shakes of Worcestershire sauce

3 cups of passata

1 cup treacle

½ cup of maple syrup

Almost ½ a cup white wine vinegar

Sprinkle of salt and crack of pepper

 

Method

Combine everything into a saucepan over medium heat. Once all the ingredients are partying together turn up the heat and the volume! Bring that baby to the boil, and once he’s there, turn the heat down and simmer for a while. This gets the sauce thick and rich like certain celebrities we know… lol! Season with a bit of salt and pepper to your liking and stir the pot like you’re at a family get together. Bottle in sterilised jars whilst hot and store in the fridge. Once you’ve made it you will identify if you want to change anything. Sometimes if I give this as an edible gift, I make it a bit less sweeter, and other times I add a little chilli powder to crank up the heat baby! Enjoy.

fakeaway burgers and chips

So burger patties are flavoursome if you do it yourself! I like to have fakeaway in our home, so on the weekend I try to make a meal that is like a takeaway! Here is fakeaway burgers and chips!!

Ingredients for burger patties

1 Kg 4 star mince (not five star because you want a little fat for frying). I used beef mince for this one, but it is great with lamb and chicken too.

A handful of chopped herbs (I used parsley and basil)

An egg

Salt and pepper

Sprinkle of cumin

 

Method

Place everything into a bowl and mix through thoroughly. I like to beat the egg a little first to make sure it goes through the mince nicely. Now roll tablespoons of the mix in your hands and shape into rounds. Set aside on a lined baking tray. Once you are fully rolled, cover and place the patties in the fridge for at least half an hour. Then when you are ready, splash a little oil on the BBQ or pan and fry your patties.

These were used to assemble burgers and I served them with my homemade rosemary sea salt chips. Note that the patties can be in the fridge for a day ahead of when you need them, so they make great prep for party timing!

vanilla high tea cake

This cake is delicious and simple. Go for it!!

 

Ingredients

125 g butter

½ cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla pod scrapings or essence

2 cups self-raising flour

Splash of milk

3 tablespoons of your favourite jam

 

Buttercream Icing

125 g butter

1 ½ cups icing powder

1 tbs milk

1 tsp vanilla pod scrapings or essence

 

Method

Combine the butter and sugar and beat until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating with electric mixer in between. Add the vanilla, flour and milk and electric mix until the mix is smooth. Pour batter into a lined cake tin. I used a tall cake tin with a 12 cm base. Bake at 160 degrees Celsius for about 45 minutes, or until you can insert a skewer and it comes out clean.

Whilst the cake is in the oven let the butter go near room temperature, then when soft stir in the icing powder, milk and vanilla. For a bit of volume sometimes I mix it with the electric mixer.

Let the cake cool completely prior to cutting and icing. I usually make my cakes the day before I need them and ice them the next day so that the exterior settles and it is easier to ice without scrapping crumbs into the icing mixture. Its a simple slice in half, then add a few dollops of your (or the birthday person’s) favourite jam and spread. Then ice your cake baby! Here I decorated with a few macarons, little chocolates and some miniature roses from the front garden. However you decorate, people will not just rave about the look of this cake, but the taste!